The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-12-15
AN ADDRESS
Delivered by Senator NJ. c. Butler Before
the Chester Fair Association.


Mr.. President and Ladies and Gentle
men of the Chester County Fair Associa-
ton: I cannot hope to instruct you on a
subject about which you would naturally
know more than myself, but shall
invoke your patience while call to your
attention some facts relating to agricul.
ture which have an important bearing on
the welfare of the whole people.
IT is safe to affirm that no agricultural
people will prosper who buy their food
supply. Let me repeat the idea in
another form, that it may challenge your
attention aud impress itself upon your
minds. No people depending upon the
cultivation of the soil for livelihood,
who make business of agriculture can
expect to thrive when they buy their
meat and bread.
If this be true-and I think it cannot
be successfully denied-let us apply it to
the farmers or agriculturists of South
Carolina, and more especially of Chester
County. According to the last census
1Ss0) the County of Chester had 24,Ol9
of population. She produced in round
numbers $4,000 bushels of corn on
10000 acres of land, or seven bushels 81 !.
attraction to the acre. Also $4,000 BUSH
!els of wheat on 1900 acres, or FIVE
bushels to the acre. These are the prin-
cipal bread crops, and nearly your entire
population is engaged in farming
How is it with your meat supply ?--or
rather with the animals from which meat
can be produced?' You had at the same
time ls7 oxen, 3,435 mich COWS, 9,OS9 Of
aother CATTLE" 1910 sheep and =s,77S
hogs-one.third of hog per capita. Of
work, pleasure and breeding animals
other than those above mentioned, you
had / ,6l5 horses and 2,767 mules. Now,
if you divide your 357 900 bushels of corn
between your $4,000 of population, you
would give to each person IA 21-24
busbels-not quite Is bushels. And if
you distribute your wheat per capita
each person would have 1l-24-say Il
bushels. .55
If the corn we're all used by the popu-
lat;on it would furnish an ample supply
of bread, but when you remember that
you had 1882 horses and mules, and
SITS hogs, besides the sheep and cattle,
yo will find that nothing like fifteen
bus',ols per capita can be spared for the
people, unless you produce enough of
other grain for your stock. Let's see as
to that. You made 1888 bushels of
oats on IL, ,44O acres, a fraction more than
eight bushels to the acre. This, divided
among your horses and mules alone,
would give to each about 2l3 bushelssfor
the year.
: a horse or mule, fed as he ought to be.
will consume hushel of oats and forty
two pounds Of hay or fodder every three
days, and a busbel of corn and the same
quantity of forage every four and q half
days. So that in S65 days of the year he
will consume more than 100 bushels-of
oats. There is, then, deficiency of
about eighty bushels for each horse and
mule in your county, or S4,45O bushels
for the aggregate; so you observe large
proportion of your corn must 60 to feed
your animals, say one half, leaving but
seven bushels per capita and one and q
half bushels of wheat. You made no
barley and only 476 bushels of rye.
Then where do.you get the deficiency of
food for your people and for your S,7oO
hogs, your. oxen, COWS, sheep, horses,
mules, &c. e.4.-aof{
Why, of course you buy ,it-and pay
about two prices for it when you calcu-
late the interest the merchant cbargesfor
advances, the freight railroads charge
for transportation, waste, loss Of time,
hauling, &c. l have not taken into
account your root crops, such as potatoes,
turnips, beets, &C., nor the pea crop, nor
the vegetable, nor butter and milk crt p.
They undoubtedly contribute somethiDg
TO the food supply, but not materially.
I will not weary you longer with figures
in detail. You can take them as have
given them from the census reports, and
estimate how much meat you may rea-
sonably expect from the hogs, cattle and
sheep in your county. - :
Now, ifyou have such large proper.
tion of your food to buy, that could and
ought to be made at home, where do you
get the money?
Cotton is the principal money crop.
Your county made, according tothe same
authority, on So. 1924 acres 10,050 bales Of
cotton, or about bale to every five acres.
Estimating each bale at an average ol
400 pounds, you would have in round
numbers 100000 pounds, and at 8 cents
pound you would realize s36o,oOO.
Dividing that amount among your Popu'
lation you would have for each person
SIS, out of which every expense must be
paid-taxes, food, clothing; educational
religious, &c. : ees - - ~
This calculation is based upon the
assumption that every man, woman and
child is engaged in agriculture, and
therefore is only approximately correct
But it is safe to say nine-tenths of your
population are engaged in agriculture
So deduct one.tenth from the foregoing
and see where you stand.
Deduct from your income your State
and county taxes s24,271-which are
moderate, compared with some Other
counties, being about one per cent. on tht
assessed value of your property, your
guano bills, clothing, medical, provision
and school bills, aud see what you have
left.
u.LIl